Work machines having an attached implement, such as motorgraders, excavators, mining shovels, backhoe loaders, track-type tractors, wheeled tractors, compactors, wheel loaders, and the like, are used for moving earth. Such implements may include blades, impact rock rippers, buckets, and other material handling apparatus. Typically, work machines may be configured to perform various work cycles. For example, a wheel loader typically has a bucket used to rack, lift, dump, and lower a load and may be used to carry a load from one point to another point. These capabilities of a wheel loader are typically combined to perform a work cycle such as a hard bank loading, load and carry, truck loading cycle and the like.
In general, a work machine has a certain productivity, in terms of tons of material handled per gallon of fuel consumed. Productivity of the work machine is of imperative importance to the customer because it is generally directly related to the income and/or revenues received by the customer. Therefore, customers desire a work machine provider to execute a guaranteed productivity customer support agreement (CSA). These CSAs contractually guarantee a predetermined productivity of the work machine to the customer, thereby effectively shifting the risk of nonperformance (breakdown) to another party like the work machine provider or manufacturer.
Ideally, work machine providers, whether they be manufacturers, dealers, rental fleet operators or the like, could monitor the work machine and determine when maintenance and service of the work machine was necessary prior to a significant deterioration of productivity, or even worse a breakdown of the work machine, thereby enabling providers to execute a CSA. However, to date, work machine providers have had difficulty accurately and consistently determining the need for maintenance and service of a work machine before productivity significantly deteriorates. Customer support agreements typically available today are generally based on a level of machine maintenance or machine availability.
Accordingly, the art has sought an apparatus and method of determining the productivity of a work machine which: senses the work performed by the machine; calculates the productivity of the machine; selects a guaranteed productivity customer support agreement in response to the productivity; may be used in a timely and efficient manner; and is more economical to manufacture and use.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,349 to Thomas of Nov. 12, 1991, to measure the performance of an individual who rents a vehicle or other complex machine to be sure the machine is not abused during such rental use. Further, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,832 to Hagenbuch of May 20, 1997, to process data derived from the weight of a load carried by a hauling vehicle, detect the change in the weight of the load, formulate data indicative of hauling conditions of the vehicle, and accumulate historical data for formulating management decisions directed to the future operation of the vehicle. Additionally, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,907 to Shetty et al. of Sep. 15, 1998, to provide information relating to a machine to a user by sensing predetermined events relating to the machine, producing corresponding event signals, delivering the event signals to a remote site, comparing the event signals to a profile of events corresponding to the user and delivering a notification signal to the user if the event signals match a profile.
However, it is currently difficult for a work machine provider to accurately and consistently predict when a work machine needs service and maintenance prior to productivity significantly deteriorating so that the provider can economically execute a guaranteed productivity customer support agreement with a customer.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.